Five score and 50 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln inspired the nation with 272 words, now on display via the Google Cultural Institute.

Today marks the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and search giant is celebrating with three new online exhibits.

With approval and assistance from the White House, the Lincoln Library, Cornell University, Dickinson College, and the Library of Congress, anyone can browse high-resolution digital versions of all five of Lincoln's handwritten copies of the address.

According to the Institute, it's not known which of the five texts
he used for the actual Gettysburg Address on Nov. 19. The text emblazoned on Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial, which generations of children have memorized, was the final version of the address. It was completed on March 11, four months before the Union defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg, and eight months before Lincoln called for"a new birth of freedom."

But the speech evolved over time. The legendary "Four score and seven years ago " opening line was added after a first draft, delivered outside the White House on July 7, 1863, featured him wondering aloud, "How long ago is it? Eighty odd years." Other lines were also tweaked, including a change from "the second birth of Freedom in America" (July 6) to "a new birth of freedom" (Nov. 19).

In a blog post announcing the exhibit, Partner Development Manager Amrit Dhir encourages everyone to contribute a video of themselves reading or reciting the speech as part of the "Learn the Address" project from documentarian Ken Burns. Check out comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Louis C.K. discussing the speech and its meaning in Burns's video below.

"Most of us will never stand in the Lincoln Bedroom and see the handwritten draft exhibited there," Dhir wrote. "But now anyone with access to an Internet connection can explore all these artifacts from this defining moment in history."

About the Author

Stephanie joined PCMag in May 2012, moving to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in ... See Full Bio

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.